Improvement in horse hay-forks



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

RICHARD LISOOMB, OF SMITHFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE HAY-FORKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 52,060, dated January16, 1866.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD W. LIscoMB, of Smithlield, in the county ofBradford and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and ImprovedHorse Hay-Fork g and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilledin the art to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying; drawings, forming part of this speciiication, in which-Figure l is a side view ot' my invention; Fig. 2, a plan or top view ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

This invention relates to a new and improved horse hay-fork forelevating hay and storing it in mows in barns, and is applicable to thatclass of forks which have their heads connected by a hinge orjointto along arm or handle. These forks are very simple, and are capable ofbeing operated or manipulated with the greatest facility, so as to clearbeams or other obstructions which may be in the path ot' their movement;but they have hitherto required the operator to hold the arm or handlewith the guide-rope, in order to prevent them from tilting and casuallydischarging their load under the gravity o-t' the same.

The object of this improvement is to avoid that difficulty, and to thisend I employ a brace connected with the arm or handle ot' the fork andthe hoisting-rope thereof in such a manner that the fork will beretained in the position necessary to hold its load, and without 1n, theleast interfering with the discharge of the latter from the fork at theproper time.

A represen ts the fork, constructed of a. series of tines, a, fitted atright angles in a head, b, any proper number of tines being used. Thishead b is connected by a hinge or joint, c, with an arm or handle, B, ofconsiderable length, the hinge or joint admitting of the fork droppingor tilting` downward when its load is to be discharged. The fork isretained or held in a position in line with the arm or handle B by meansot' a catch, O, in the arm or handle, titting over a plate, d, attachedto the fork-head b, and the lower end of this catch C has the trip-ropeD lattached to it, by pulling which at any time the fork may be releasedand allowed to tilt and discharge its load.

The parts above described compose the ordinary long arm or handle forknow in ordinary use, and when the fork is being hoisted with its load itwill be seen that the gravity ot the latter will have a tendency to bearor tilt the fork downward, and that contingency is only prevented by theoperator keeping` the guide-rope E attached to the end ot the arm orhandle B. My improvement obviates this manipulation. I attach a brace,F, at one end to the arm or handle B by means ot' a joint, j', and theopposite end ot' said brace I attach to the hoisting-rope G, which isattached to the tork-head b. This -brace et'tectually prevents thetilting down ot' the fork, for the greater the weight of the load on thefork the more taut the hoisting-rope G will be, so that the brace willhave an eflcient bearing against said rope in order to hold' the forkproperly in position.

This brace may be applied to the fork at a tritiing cost, and will provea great acquisition to it. The usual hoisting-tackle is applied to thefork.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The brace F, applied to the arm or handle B and to the hoisting-rope G,to operate in the manner substantially as and for the purpose herein setforth.

The above specitication ot' my invention signed by me this 9th day ofNovember, 1865. RICHARD W. LISOOMB.

Vitnesses:

M. M. LIVINGSTON, G. L. TOPLIEF.

